Final Exam

Question 1

What vision changes happen in middle adulthood

Answer 1

In middle adulthood, people start to develop Presbyopia which is problems reading small print and your bifocals are nearsighted. People also have difficulties in dim light, have reduced color discrimination and are at risk for Glaucoma.

Question 2

What hearing changes happen in middle adulthood

Answer 2

Individuals develop Presbycusis which is like “old Hearing”. They have earliest, most loss in high frequencies. There are gender and cultural differences like men have earlier, more rapid hearing loss. Hearing aids can help hearing loss.

Question 3

What skin changes happen in middle adulthood

Answer 3

Individuals get more wrinkles. Wrinkles in the forehead start in 30’s and crow’s feet start in 40’s. Your skin starts to sag in places like your face, arms, and legs. You develop age spots after age 50. Skin changes are faster with sun exposure, for women.

Question 4

What bone changes happen in middle adulthood

Answer 4

Individuals bones broaden but become more porous. They have a loss in bone density and women are at more risk for this. You also have loss in bone strength, your disks collapse, and height shrinks. Your bones will fracture more easily and heal more slowly. A healthy lifestyle helps skeletal changes.

Question 5

What muscle-fat makeup changes happen in middle adulthood

Answer 5

The middle age spread is common- fat gain in torso. Men gain muscle-fat in upper abdomen and back while women gain in the waist and upper arms. Very gradual muscle declines. This can be avoided by a low-fat diet with fruits, vegetables, grains, exercise especially resistance training.

Question 6

Discuss the association of hostility and anger with heart disease and other health problems. Explain the detrimental effects of having Type A behavior.

Answer 6

• Hostility and Health is just like expressed hostility. This means they have frequent angry outburst, have rudeness and contempt, and disagreeable verbal and nonverbal behavior. The heath effects of hostility are cardiovascular problems, health complaints and illnesses, depression and dissatisfaction with life, and unhealthy behaviors.
• Anger: The experience of stress appears to be associated with heart disease. Having Type A behavior is characterized by competitiveness, impatience, and a tendency toward frustration and hostility. These types of people engage in polyphasic activities which are activities carried out simultaneously making it more stressful. Type A people are said to be more involved with stressful situations and become aroused physiologically more (becoming madder easier). The wear and tear on the body’s circulatory system in what seems to ultimately produce coronary heart disease

Question 7

Explain the benefits of stress management, exercise, and an optimistic outlook for dealing effectively with the physical challenges of midlife. Explain hardiness.

Answer 7

• Hardiness is a personality characteristic associated with a lower rate of stress-related illness. People with hardiness take on life challenges and are more resident to stress-related illnesses.
• Having stress management techniques including finding social support and using relaxation techniques can help control, reduce or even learn om how to deal with large amounts of stress. Exercise can reduce stress management but also reduce disease risk. Exercise are barriers to beginning in middle age and it also gives the person self-efficacy. Having an optimistic outlook is looking at your life and all that you completed and being satisfied by what you have done instead of realizing what you haven’t done and becoming stressed and depressed that you can no longer accomplish those things you wanted to get done.

Question 8

What are the reproductive changes experiences by middle-aged men and women?

Answer 8

• Women experience menopause (explained below). Men have reduced sperm and semen after the age of 40. They also have a gradual testosterone reduction which sexual activity stimulates production. Men also have erection problems. These problems can be linked to anxiety, diseases, injury, and loss of interest. Men can use Viagra and other drugs to help this.

Question 9

What are the symptoms of menopause? How do women react to menopause (two views)?

Answer 9

• Menopause is the gradual end of fertility. Age range extends from late 30’s to late 50’s. It comes sooner with non-childbearing women and smokers. The drop-in estrogen makes women have shorter monthly periods and they eventually stop. Can cause problems in sexual functioning and cholesterol. The symptoms of menopause are hot flashes/night sweats, sexual problems, irritability, sleep difficulties and depression. The reactions to menopause have individual differences like the importance of childbearing capacity and other interests. There are cultural differences including medicalization in Western industrialization nations linked to complaints, ethnic differences in the US, and social status of aging women linked to reactions.

Question 10

What is osteoporosis?

Answer 10

• Osteoporosis is the severe bone loss making fragile bones (bone breaks can be life-threatening. The causes are normal aging (with age, bones become more porous and lose bone mass, menopause estrogen drop speeds loss, heredity size, and lifestyle.) Women develop earlier; men often overlook.

Question 11

Describe Erikson’s stage of generativity versus stagnation.

Answer 11

• Erickson stage of generativity vs stagnation is explained as: Generativity is reaching out to others in ways that give to and guide the next generation. Their commitment extends beyond self. They also have family, work, mentoring relationships are also generative. Stagnation on the other hand is you place your own comfort and security above challenge and sacrifices. They are self-centered, self-indulgent and self-absorbed. They lack involvement and aren’t concerned with young people. They also have little interest in work productivity, self-improvement.

Question 12

What is a midlife crisis? What triggers it?

Answer 12

• A midlife crisis is a stage of uncertainty and indecision brought about by the realization that life is finite. What triggers a midlife crisis is when individuals look in the past of when they were proudest if they have brought them less satisfaction than they expected. These individuals may seek to find what went wrong and to look for ways to correct their past mistakes. The midlife crisis is a painful and tumultuous period of questioning.

Question 13

What is a possible self?

Answer 13

• A possible self is what one hopes or fears becoming. They are becoming fewer, more modest and concrete with age. They may become more time-oriented with age compared with what you hand planned. May help with adjustment and self-esteem

Question 14

Gender Identity in Middle Adulthood…describe

Answer 14

• Gender identity is where women have an increase in “masculine” traits and men have an increase in “feminine” traits. There are theories to this that are parental imperative, decline in sex hormones, and demands in midlife.

Question 15

What are characteristics of psychological well-being in mid-life?

Answer 15

• The characteristics include good health, exercise, sense of control, personal life investment, positive social relationships, good marriage, and mastery of multiple roles.

Question 16

Life Expectancy: Define functional age (young-old and old-old).

Answer 16

• Functional Age actual competence and performance. This may not match chronological. The functional age is looked at your strength and ability. Young-old= 65-74, Old= 75-85, Old-old= 85+

Question 17

What is the definition of average life expectancy? In 2010, what was the average life expectancy in the US?

Answer 17

• Life expectancy is the average age of death for members of a population. The average life expectancy was 85 yrs. old?

Question 18

Who lives longer – men or women? What is Active Lifespan? Why does the US fall behind other countries?

Answer 18

• Women live longer. Active lifespan is the amount of time they remain healthy and able to enjoy their lives. The US falls behind because we lag health care policies and lifestyles. We have higher rates of obesity and heart disease.

Question 19

What is maximum lifespan? What is the average human lifespan

Answer 19

• The average human lifespan in age 85. The maximum lifespan is anywhere from 70-100.

Question 20

What is happening to the nervous system? Why does brain weight decline after age 60?
What is happening to the cerebral cortex, frontal lobe, and cerebellum, and glial cells?

Answer 20

• There is an accelerating loss of brain weight after the age of 60. Neurons are lost in frontal lobes, corpus callosum, cerebellum(balance), and glial cells. The automatic nervous system is less efficient.

Question 21

When can the brain overcome some of these declines?

Answer 21

• The brain can compensate by making new fibers and neurons, making new connections, and by using more parts of the brain.

Question 22

What is happening to vision, hearing, sense of smell, taste and touch?

Answer 22

• Elderly is having more vision problems which cause loss of self-confidence, changes in leisure activities, and possible problems of ADL’s.
• They also are prone to hearing loss which causes social problems, lower self-efficiency, and lower safety and enjoyment.
• They have decreases taste and smell which cause nutritional and safety risks
• They are also less sensitive to touch which also cause troubles with leisure daily activities.

Question 23

What is happening to heart and arteries and lungs? When are these problems aggravated? How can we reduce changes of extreme cardio problems?

Answer 23

• The heartbeat is less forceful, and you have a slower heart rate and a slow blood flow. Your lung capacity is cut in half and you have less oxygen in your tissues. These problems are aggravated by stress, obesity, etc. We can reduce changes by eating healthier, managing stress, and getting physical activity.

Question 24

what’s happening? What aggravates? What helps?

Answer 24

• The immune system effectiveness declines greatly. It is more infectious and more prone to autoimmune diseases. It is also stress-related susceptibility (stress aggravates it). A healthy diet, and exercise helps.

Question 25

How much do the elderly need? What is really happening?

Answer 25

• The elderly needs less sleep than teenagers and young adults do (<8) The elderly have an earlier bedtime and wake-up earlier. They have more difficulties that include insomnia, nighttime waking, sleep apnea, and restless legs.

Question 26

What are the obvious physical changes?

Answer 26

• Their skin gets thinner, wrinkled, spotted. Their ears, nose, teeth and hair changes. They also loss height and weight after the age of 60. Their muscle strength declines (10-20% by ages 60 to 70 and 30-50% by ages 70 to 80). The bone strength drops, and you are less flexible.

Question 27

Sexuality in Late Adulthood? What’s going on?

Answer 27

• Having sex is still important. They have a less desire and frequency. Women have fewer male partners. Married couples have sex regularly and have enjoyable sex. The sexuality in late adulthood have continue patterns from earlier years. There are other enjoyable activities other than intercourse. Men will sometimes stop all activities if they have erection problems. In the Western Culture, there is more disapproval for sexuality in late adulthood.

Question 28

What is the difference between primary and secondary aging?

Answer 28

• Primary aging is where it the decline is genetically influenced. It affects all members of the species. It even happens in your health is good. There is no way getting out of it. Secondary aging is where your declines in due to heredity and the environment. The effects are individualized (major contribution to frailty). The illnesses and disabilities include arthritis, diabetes, injuries, and mental disabilities.

Question 29

What is arthritis (rheumatoid and osteoarthritis) and Diabetes? Hereditary? How do we treat or manage?

Answer 29

• Osteoarthritis is deteriorating cartilage in frequently used joints. It is common and is related to wear and tear. Osteoarthritis is not hereditary. Ways to treat osteoarthritis is physical activity, weight management, stretching and pain and anti-inflammatory medications.
• Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune response which affects the whole body. It is inflamed connective tissue and affects the membranes in joints. When the cartilage grows, it can cause loss of mobility and deformed joints. It is not hereditary. Ways to treat are an anti-inflammatory diet and healthy eating, physical activity that is balanced with enough rest as well, medications, supplements, etc.
• Diabetes is too little insulin or cells insensitive to insulin. This increases in late adulthood. It is genetic therefore it is hereditary. The risk of long-term damage includes circulatory system, eyes, kidney, nerve and brain damage. Treatment includes diet, exercise, and weight loss.

Question 30

What is dementia,

Answer 30

• Dementia: a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes caused by brain disease or injury and marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and impaired reasoning.

Question 31

Alzheimer’s

Answer 31

structural and chemical brain deterioration, gradual loss of thought and behavior, neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques, abnormal breakdown of amyloid in brain

Question 32

Parkinson’s disease,

Answer 32

a progressive disease of the nervous system marked by tremor, muscular rigidity, and slow, imprecise movement, chiefly affecting middle-aged and elderly people. It is associated with degeneration of the basal ganglia of the brain and a deficiency of the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Question 33

Cerebrovascular dementia

Answer 33

A common form of dementia in older persons that is due to cerebrovascular disease, usually with stepwise deterioration from a series of small strokes and a patchy distribution of neurologic deficits affecting some functions and not others. Symptoms include confusion, problems with recent memory, wandering or getting lost in familiar places, loss of bladder or bowel control (incontinence), emotional problems such as laughing or crying inappropriately, difficulty following instructions, and problems handling money

Question 34

What is selective Optimization with Compensation? How does it help Elderly people?

Answer 34

• Selective optimization with compensation is choose personally valued activities and avoid others, devote resources to valued activities, find creative ways to overcome limitations.
• This helps elderly people by finding what activities they like and what they can still be apart of even though their limitations. This could help greatly in the time of retirement.

Question 35

What is associative memory? What is deliberate/explicit versus implicit/automatic memory?

Answer 35

• Deliberate/explicit vs implicit/automatic memory is deliberate is purposeful and requires more effort. automatic is unconscious and requires little effort.
• Aa
• Associative memory is a memory of a past event or place that may occur by recalling something associated with it.

Question 36

What is remote versus prospective (recent) memory? What is autobiographical memory?

Answer 36

• Autobiographical memory is the memories of information about one’s own life. Remote vs prospective memory is remote is long term, autobiographical and recent events, prospective is remembering to engage in planned actions- event based is easier than time-based tasks.

Question 37

What does your text say about wisdom?

Answer 37

• Wisdom is depth and breadth of practical knowledge, reflect on knowledge, apply knowledge to improve life, listen and evaluating, advice, and altruistic creativity. Contribution to wisdom includes life experience, overcoming adversity, leadership experience, human service training, practice, and age in no guarantee but when combined with life experience, it helps.

Question 38

Describe Erikson’s stage of ego integrity versus despair

Answer 38

• In Erickson’s stage of ego integrity vs despair, Ego Integrity means that the individual feels whole, complete and satisfied with achievements. They are also serenity and have contentment. The individual is associated with psychosocial maturity. On the other hand, despair individuals may feel many decisions were wrong, but now time is too short. They are bitter and unaccepting of coming death. The individual also expressed as anger and contempt for others.

Question 39

Discuss spirituality and religiosity in late adulthood.

Answer 39

• About 3/4th of US elders say religion is “very important”. Over half of elders attend services weekly. Lots of elders become more religious/spiritual with age. On the other hand, about ¼ of elders get less religious. If you do get more or less, it depends on your cultural, SES, and gender differences. Spirituality and religion have physical and psychological benefits that can help social engagement and spiritual beliefs themselves.

Question 40

Personality in Adulthood…. what is this like?

Answer 40

• The personality is secure, multifaced self-concept. This allows self-acceptance and able to continue to pursue possible selves. They also have shifts in characteristics like more agreeable, less sociable, and greater acceptance to change.

Question 41

Control and Dependency in Late Adulthood

Answer 41

• Dependency-support scripts are attend immediately to dependent behaviors. Independence-ignore script is when you ignore independent behaviors. Scripts work together and they both reinforce dependency and make social contact less pleasant.

Question 42

Factors in Psychological Well-Being

Answer 42

• They have control vs dependency. Their health is affected as well. If someone has very poor health, depression is linked and are at a risk for suicide risk. They might also have negative life chances that might affect this. Social support and interaction helps the psychological well-being.

Question 43

Reminiscence and Life Review

Answer 43

• Reminiscence is telling stories about people, events, thoughts and feelings about the past. Self-focused=can deepen despair. Other-focused=solidifies relationships. Knowledge-based= helps solve problems. Life Review on the other hand is considering the meaning of past experiences. This is a form of reminiscence. Life review is them thinking if their life had meaning or not.

Question 44

Widowhood is the most stressful event for life of many

Answer 44

Know